Beneath the suffocating canopy of the Darkwoods, amidst the tangled undergrowth of towering trees, stood a lone youth.
He possessed jet-black hair and striking azure eyes, but his deathly pale complexion betrayed his dire reality—he looked as though he might collapse and perish at any moment.
He wore a blood-soaked shattered chest piece, the armor rent as if by the vicious, tearing swipe of a beast’s claws.
Judging by the sheer volume of blood he had shed, he by all rights should have been at death’s door.
Yet against all odds, he remained upright.
Leaning with an eerie, casual comfort against the rough bark of a tree, he began to speak aloud to himself.
This resilient youth was, of course, Asterius.
“In this body’s current state, I am practically crippled,” Asterius murmured.
“Unleashing any of my true skills or techniques right now would utterly shatter this fragile vessel.
It is time to map out a path to reclaim my former cultivation and capabilities.
First and foremost, I must fortify this physical shell; it is the ultimate foundation that houses my very existence.
For that, I will cultivate the [Primordial Physique of Chaos], modified to absorb, refine, and assimilate all external energies and universal laws, forging them into the primordial essence.
Drawing upon the ambient world energy will have to suffice for now.
It should provide just enough momentum to force my way past the first phase of the [Primordial Physique of Chaos].
Fortunately, my advancement is not bound strictly to passive energy absorption—it thrives on the crucible of combat as well.
That will make triggering breakthroughs and seizing epiphanies significantly easier.”
Now, I must go into seclusion; any interruption during my activation would be fatal,” he murmured.
“A basic barrier should suffice, though I doubt I can manifest anything truly formidable with my soul capabilities so utterly suppressed.”
Deep within his sea of consciousness rested a colossal, radiant sphere of ethereal spiritual energy—the core of his soul.
Orbiting it like a celestial array were seven brilliant, multicolored globes, each a manifestation of a cosmic law he had mastered.
Sanguine, the largest and most radiant, signified his ultimate attainment in [True Destruction].
Alongside it spun Onyx Black for [True Darkness], Crimson for [Blood Laws], Purple-Gold for [Causality], Russet for [Gravity], Maroon for [Void], and finally, a tempestuous Amethyst for [Primordial Maelstrom].
Yet, a closer look revealed a chilling constraint: translucent, spectral chains tightly bound this internal solar system, ruthlessly locking his power away.
These were the [Chains of Ancient Order], a domineering relic retrieved from his previous life.
But even an ancient artifact designed to suppress the heavens could not entirely break him; stray strands of raw energy continuously fractured the seal, leaking outward from time to time—a testament to a potency so absolute that even a legendary relic of old could only hope to contain it.
Drawing upon those volatile, leaking strands of law, he took a calculated breath and incanted:
“[Pseudo-Phantasmic Barrier]!”
… a barrier to conceal his presence and mask his surroundings.
Seating himself cross-legged at the epicenter, he began embedding formations into his very soul and carving intricate inscriptions upon his flesh—laying the harrowing foundation required for the [Primordial Body of Chaos].
Moments later, the runic brands were complete, leaving his body fractured and bleeding profusely.
BOOM!
The instant the final rune settled, the surrounding world reacted.
Ambient spiritual energy surged toward him, twisting into a violent, spiraling vortex as his consciousness drifted into a deep meditative trance.
By now, it was roughly nine in the morning.
The sun crept over the horizon, bleeding a warm, crimson radiance through the darkwoods.
The light gradually dissolved the heavy fog that clung to the towering canopy.
The forest fell into a serene, heavy silence, broken only by the faint drone of insects and the crisp rustle of leaves shivering in the biting wind.
Yet beneath the roots of a hollowed, ancient tree, reality itself began to fracture.
A localized distortion glitched erratically in and out of existence—a bizarre, unnatural sight.
Crack… crack…
With a sudden, violent fracture, the anomaly tore wide open, collapsed into the dirt, and vanished from reality entirely.
Slumped in its wake was a pitch-black, humanoid silhouette.
This was Asterius.
He was entirely submerged in a viscous, oily black sludge—the foul impurities violently expelled from his physical vessel upon mastering the first phase of his cultivation art: He had absorbed external environmental energy to stress, shed, and reform the outer skin.
This substage eliminates micro-parasites, thickens the dermis, and seals the pores against poisons or corrosive miasmas.
The skin acquires a subtle, metallic luster, allowing the martial artist to resist blunt force and basic blade slashes without using active defensive energy .Deadening the pain receptors in his shins, knuckles, and forearms slightly .
He rapidly packs these areas with dense muscle fibers and layers of raw bone reinforcement.
His limbs now felt like baseball bats!
As the seconds ticked by, the hardened black crust covering his skin began to spiderweb with deep cracks…
…spreading across his entire body.
Puff!
The hardened black crust burst into a cloud of dark ash, unveiling the flawless, jade-like alabaster skin beneath.
It gleamed with a faint, otherworldly luminescence as ethereal runes and arcane formulas flickered across his flesh, vanishing just as quickly as they had materialized.
Standing up, he stretched his limbs fully.
His bones popped in a satisfying release of tension, and he let out a long, comfortable yawn.
“This feels a lot better,” he muttered, a distant trace of despair shadowing his eyes.
“But there is still a long way to go before I reclaim the peak condition of my original body.”
He scrunched his nose, cringing at the pungent stench radiating from his skin.
“Though first…
I desperately need a bath.
If my memory serves me right, there should be a river northeast of here.”
Shifting his stance, he anchored his weight and channeled energy into his lower body.
He took a deep, centering breath, then released it all at once.
{AZURE STEPS}!
In a flash, he vanished into the dense foliage, leaving behind only a sudden gust of wind to rustle the quiet trees.
Half an hour later, he stepped out onto the riverbank, greeted by an unexpected sight.
A mixed herd of wild deer and buffalo, alongside a solitary Addax whose antlers gleamed with a striking metallic sheen, gathered peacefully along the water’s edge.
At least, that was the illusion.
A keener observer would quickly notice the tension vibrating through the clearing—the beasts were entirely on edge, casting wary, cautious glances toward the unassuming Addax, even though their herd leaders were rare beasts.
This was because the Addax was a bona-fide EPIC creature!
However, it was currently far from peak condition.
A gaping claw wound on its neck oozed blood periodically, staining its golden-brown hide.
It appeared pale and forlorn, likely suffering the aftermath of activating its berserk mode during a brutal battle.
Asterius’s arrival immediately struck a discordant chord.
The surrounding beasts snapped their attention toward the newcomer, their initial apprehension and wary stares quickly souring into disdain and contempt.
“Even dirty, lowly beasts such as these dare to look down on me,” Asterius murmured with an amused smirk.
As if understanding his insult, the monsters glared back with hostile, provocative gazes.
Asterius remained utterly unbothered.
Completely ignoring their presence, he strode straight toward the river under the astonished stares of the monster herds.
He plunged into the water with a loud splash, cleansing his body of the lingering filth.
Ten minutes later, he ran his fingers through his lustrous black hair.
Sunlight illuminated his flawless, jade-like skin as glistening droplets of water trailed down his face.
His azure eyes perfectly mirrored the serene morning sky.
“Now, that is what I call refreshing!”
Leaping from the river under the watchful gaze of the surrounding beasts, he detected a subtle tremor in the air behind the wounded Addax.
He expanded his [divine sense] to blanket the area, instantly mapping a localized distortion in space directly behind the creature.
Focusing his mind on the anomaly, he discerned the faint outline of a feline predator blending seamlessly into the environment—obviously stalking the oblivious Addax.
“An interesting development…
a Shadow Lynx,” he realized, assessing its radiating aura.
“And from the looks of it, a rare-level beast at that.”
The predator was clearly capitalizing on the Addax’s vulnerability.
Giving its prey no time to react, the lynx ambushed from the shadows, claws unsheathed and fangs bared as it drove straight for the throat.
Yet, even a diminished [Epic Creature] remains a formidable force.
With blinding speed, the Addax pivoted its massive frame, causing the lethal strike to miss by a fraction of an inch.
Thrust into the offensive, the Addax slammed its heavy front hooves down upon the intruder, intent on trampling the insidious predator into dust.
Though the agile lynx swiftly maneuvered out of the crushing arc, it refused to retreat.
It coiled and sprang once more at the beast’s bloodied neck, intent on decapitation.
The Addax answered the challenge instantly, swinging its metallic, spike-like horns to intercept the incoming talons.
The collision sent a violent shower of sparks into the air.
Undeterred, the relentless lynx struck again, only to be violently warded off once more.
Enraged by the lynx’s relentless assaults, the addax charged, hot breath snorting from its nostrils.
The lynx slipped away with effortless grace, further fueling its opponent’s fury.
Retreating slightly, the two beasts circled one another, their eyes locked in mutual malice.
With a surge of intent, the lynx activated its [Empowered State], doubling its base agility, strength, and dexterity…Whoosh…
It vanished into a blur, reappearing instantly above the addax.
Caught completely off guard, the addax sustained a devastating claw wound across its head, leaving it dazed and disoriented.
Nearby, Asterius watched the clash from the shadows, his presence undetected.
A sharp smirk crossed his face before he, too, vanished into thin air.
His objective was unmistakable: he would ambush the lynx, steal the kill, and seize the rare opportunity to claim a [Life Prominence].
Meanwhile, the brutal struggle reached its climax.
The lynx had seized complete control of the battlefield, leaving the addax heavily lacerated and bleeding profusely.
Fatal wounds marred its head, neck, and abdomen—the latter torn open so severely that its entrails were visibly exposed.
In stark contrast, the lynx remained largely unscathed, bearing only minor scratches and superficial bruises.
The addax was firmly at death’s door.
Refusing to relent, the lynx closed the distance to deliver the final, decisive blow, its eyes gleaming with a feral, insatiable hunger.
Driven by pure lethal instinct, the lynx unsheathed its claws and lunged straight for the throat.
Just as its talons were about to rip into the addax, a sudden, primal dread seized the predator, forcing it to abort the strike.
But the warning came too late.
A sharp, searing pain exploded in its neck.
The beast unleashed a mangled roar of agony and panic.
Nearby, the addax collapsed limply into the dirt, lifeless and useless—dead from the chaotic collateral of the clash.
Inside the lynx’s own gaping wound, a small throwing knife remained embedded.
This was the true catalyst of death.
Blindsided and enraged by the sneak attack, the lynx frantically scanned the bush for its assailant.
It immediately locked onto a familiar two-legged creature standing in the distance, watching the carnage with a faint smile.
It was Asterius.
He was, without a doubt, the assassin.
Bristling with fury, the feline coiled to spring and slaughter the despicable human.
Yet, it froze mid-stride.
The surge of its [Empowered Mode] abruptly vanished, replaced instantly by a crushing wave of muscle failure.
It was the brutal aftermath of exhausting its ultimate state.
Trembling and suddenly stripped of its confidence against Asterius—and acutely aware of rival monsters lurking nearby, waiting to scavenge its carcass—the lynx calculated its rapidly dwindling options.
It chose an honorable retreat.
It shifted its weight, attempting to back away, utterly blind to the fact that escape was no longer an option.
Just as it took that desperate step backward, a sudden wave of vertigo struck, sending its vision into a violent spin.
Its footsteps faltered, growing heavy and erratic.
Stumbling, it glared toward Asterius—the prime suspect—only to witness his unassuming smile twist into a grin.
Its worst suspicions were instantly confirmed.
It clawed for a way to retreat, but its limbs failed.
Collapsing weakly to the dirt, the harrowing realization set in: it was completely paralyzed.
{ Approximately four minutes earlier…
}
“Judging by the flow of battle, the lynx has already won,” Asterius murmured, keeping a sharp eye on the ongoing clash.
“Well, I can’t let them have all the fun, can I?”
With a sudden burst of movement, he pivoted and bolted back into the woods, retracing his steps toward his current vantage point.
He moved at a blistering speed of twenty-five meters per second—a staggering feat considering he was only at the second level of the [Body Tempering Stage] and wasn’t using any movement techniques!
Two minutes later, he came to a halt before a dense, bushy shrub.
It possessed dark green foliage, drooping purple blossoms, and branches laden with deep, cherry-like fruits.
This was the infamous [Deadly Nightshade].
According to Ceres’ memories, it was a lethal botanical anomaly capable of completely paralyzing a full-grown elephant within thirty seconds!
While the fruits held the concentrated toxin, the leaves offered a similar, albeit diluted, effect.
Asterius stripped a handful of leaves from the stems.
Tilting his foot, he deftly squeezed the toxic sap directly onto the blades of the small throwing knives concealed within his footwear.
“This should suffice for now, I suppose,”
he murmured, smoothly sliding the blades into his sleeves while pocketing five of the rare fruits.
Then, with a sudden burst of speed, he vanished back toward the chaos of the fray.[PRESENT TIME]
Nearby, the lynx lay entirely paralyzed on the earth.
Its eyes darted frantically, trapped in a prison of its own flesh; the lethal juices of the [Deadly Nightshade] leaves had already seeped deep into its muscle fibers, locking its entire body in a rigid grip.
The beast could only watch in helpless fury as Asterius—that loathsome, two-legged creature—stalked toward it with slow, agonizingly deliberate steps.
Adrenaline surged violently through the predator’s veins, spiderwebbing crimson lines across its bloodshot eyes.
Summoning the last vestiges of its strength, the great cat forced itself onto trembling, unsteady paws, unable to advance even an inch.
It locked eyes with Asterius, its gaze burning with a murderous, unbridled hatred that wished nothing more than to tear the man to ribbons.
The beast’s defiance only served to stretch Asterius’ smirk wider.
“That is quite a look you are giving me, old black cat,” Asterius purred, his voice dripping with mock sympathy.
“Well, I suppose I cannot blame you.
I would have the exact same reaction to someone hunting me down.
No hard feelings, of course.
You ambushed your own kin, so I am merely returning the favor.
And besides…” His gaze narrowed into razor-thin, dangerous slits.
“…you are Ceres’ killer.
That alone is reason enough to end you.”
Asterius raised his right hand high into the air.
A sharp, ethereal aura ignited around his fingertips, humming with lethal and sharp shimmering energy before he brought it down in a flashing, merciless arc toward the lynx’s head…[REND!!]